Child custody cases usually involve a divorced couple trying to come to terms over how their children will be raised and how much time will be spent between the splitting parents. A child custody case between a couple that hasn't taken the leap yet is not uncommon either.

Unfortunately though, child custody can be brought up by an act of neglect. This seems to be the case of a 9-year-old boy in North Miami Beach, Florida. The young boy was measured at 35 pounds after being found wandering the streets of his neighborhood naked and with an emaciated frame. He was so malnourished, his hands and feet had swollen due to a lack of food. The young boy also appeared to be beaten, as bruises covered his body.

The 9-year-old's parents were arrested and charged with child neglect. By decree of a Miami Beach judge, the mother and father cannot have contact with their son and may lose custody of not only the 9-year-old, but five other children that were in their household. The Department of Children and Families is investigating the case.

The judge's statements showed anger and shock over the condition of the 9-year-old, declaring "I can see his bones through his skin" in court. The judge went on to call this child abuse case "one of the worst cases I've ever seen in terms of the photographs of this child."

Child custody can be a complicated matter, but it seems in this case that there is quite a bit of evidence against the 9-year-old's parents. When a child's future is at stake, may it be in a divorce or because of abuse, reaching out to a lawyer experienced in the area of family law is a good first step.

Source: WSVN 7, "Parents arrested after naked child found in street," Jan. 31, 2012